What Hurts The Most
by phangirl4eva
Summary: Jimmy leaves for Harvard at 13, & Cindy is heartbroken because she never told him she loved him. She begins to isolate herself from people, which Libby notices. She tries to help, but THEN her parents announce that they're moving to Florida in a month. Libby moves, & now no one talks to Cindy. 3 years later, she has now become the cold, cruel Cynthia Vortex. All because of HIM.
1. Chapter 1

**HAI.**

**So yeah, I know I'm supposed to be writing chapter 7 for "Where Are You Now," but this idea popped into my head, and it refused to leave. I gave it a go, and THIS*points down* was created. I have to say, I like this one. I'm even proud of it. It just came out SO good.  
Ok, enough of me. Go ahead and enjoy, since I wasted all my time doing this. Literally.**

**PS: If you haven't read "Where Are You Now," PLEASE go and read it. PLEASE.**

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) don't own Jimmy Neutron. If I did, it would've never been canceled, and we would still be enjoying the awesomeness that is the boy genius.**

**FOREWARD!**

What Hurts the Most

Sixteen year old Cynthia Aurora Vortex sat in her room on a Saturday night, alone. Her parents had gone to some dinner with one of her dad's colleagues, and "forgot" to bring her. Not that she would care, anyway. Now that she was an outcast, she reveled in being alone. She was still going great in school, passing her classes with A's, and mastering her martial arts, but now, it just wasn't the same.

Now with him gone, there's no one to challenge her intellect, no one for her to compete with. She was now the top student in all her classes, and no one dared to change that. She still had her fiery, snappy attitude, which increased over the years, and was more agile and quick than when she was just eleven. Her expression was now a permanent cold, calculating expression, and she had long ago stopped talking to people, becoming anti-social. Libby Folfax, Cindy's best friend, grew concerned and tried to help. She was moving across the country in a few weeks after the sudden change in Cindy, however, and she left, too. She tried to stay in contact with her friend, but it proved hard, since Cindy had begun to isolate herself.

Sheen and Carl were intimidated by Cindy, and never came up to her. She slowly became isolated, and she liked it. She sat alone in the cafeteria or outside, staying away from the crowds and every once in a while, she would visit the library.

Her long, beautiful, and shining blond hair, which she used to treasure as if it were gold, was cut off, and it was now at the middle of her upper arms, medium length. She kept her bangs, though, letting them grow. They now covered her eyes, and hid the green orbs underneath.

She had dropped her nickname and now went by her full name, Cynthia. When a teacher, staff member, or fellow student called her Cindy, she would either ignore them or smirk and walk away. She gained the reputation of being cold and cruel, but smart.

Everyone shied away from her like she had the plague, not wanting to disturb the new and frightening Cindy.

All these drastic changes began the day James Isaac Neutron left the town of Retroville.

_~Having so much to say, watching you walk away~_

_Cindy couldn't believe what he had just said._

"_You're _leaving_?"Jimmy had just told her that he had gotten accepted from Harvard, even if he was only thirteen._

_He had nodded. "Well, I got accepted to go to Harvard, Cindy. I wouldn't be thinking straight if I refused this opportunity."_

_She shook her head, trying to clear away the hysteria she was feeling. "Neutron, you can't do this. Think about Sheen and Carl. What would they do without you? Carl would easily get picked on by Butch, and without you around to help him out, he's helpless. And who else would put up with Sheen but you? That kid drives me crazy with his rants about Ultralord, and God knows I can't stand him. Maybe Libby can, but everyone has their limits." She finished and looked up at him, since he was now half a head taller than her._

_He shook his head again, sighing. "Vortex, I have to go. It's an enormous choice that will affect some people, yes, but for me, it's worth it. If I have the chance, I'm going for it. Do you know how long I've waited for this moment to come? I've been waiting since I was nine, and now that it's finally here, I'm going. Call it destiny if you will, but for me, there is no other option."_

"_What about your lab? Who will take care of it? Vox only recognizes your voice, and only you know what those experiments you have down there do. Even I don't know what half those inventions of yours do. You can't possibly be thinking of leaving everything behind, do you?"_

_Jimmy sighed, and replied. "I'll shut it down for the time being. If it comes down to it, I'll leave you in charge. You're the one who knows the most about my inventions than anyone else. The ones you don't know about, I'll show you." He sighed again. "Cindy, I say it once again. It's Harvard. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I can't waste it. Think about it, by the time I graduate from that university, I'm going to be around nineteen, the age students normally get accepted. It's wonderful that they want me there, when I'm just thirteen."_

"_Well, you are a genius, Neutron. Of course they want you there. It would make them look good, having a young prodigy in science residing in their school."_

"_I know perfectly well that the reason why I got accepted so fast is because they want to look good. Either way, I'm going. There is nothing anyone can say that can change my mind."_

_Desperate now, since she had run out of options herself, she opened her mouth to say the one thing she was sure would keep him here. She would tell him that she loved him. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her next argument, but it never came. It was night, and they were speaking in Jimmy's backyard, in front of his lab. His mother called him to go in and finish packing, since it was the day before he was to leave, a Saturday. _

"_Jimmy! Wait, I…" She couldn't find herself to finish her sentence. Said person turned around and looked at her, surprised that she had used his actual name, but either way was waiting for her to speak. _

"_What, Vortex?"_

_Cindy had to say the words, but she couldn't, they wouldn't come out. So she settled for saying something else, even though it hurt her to not tell him what she actually wanted to say. There was so much she wanted to say, but there was little time, and Jimmy was leaving soon._

"…_Good luck, Neutron," she whispered. He looked at her quizzically, as if to figure out if she was actually wishing him luck or if she was just bluffing. He saw she was sincere, and his eyes softened._

"_Thank you." He told her, looking her in the eye. _

_She looked away, tears threatening to fall. "You're welcome," she said, forcing her voice to not break while talking._

"_Jimmy! You need to finish packing!" his mother called from inside._

"_Coming!" He turned to the blonde. "Goodbye then, Cindy."_

_She turned to look at him, her eyes shining with tears. She forced a neutral expression on her face, and said, "Goodbye, Jimmy."_

_He cast a confused look at her, but nevertheless nodded, then turned around and went inside. _

_She stayed there for who knows how long, staring into space, until she regained her ability to walk and left his backyard._

_~Never knowing what could've been~_

Jimmy was leaving the next day, Sunday, and Cindy went to say goodbye with Sheen, Carl, and Libby. Libby went because of Sheen, who she had started to date a few months ago, and Cindy went because she couldn't just ignore him, seeing as she lived right in front of him.

Well, used to now.

Jimmy was putting the rest of his things inside his parent's car. They were going to drive him to the airport, where he was going to board the plane to leave. He turned around to find his friends holding out a banner that read "Congrats! We're going to miss you!" Carl and Sheen held the edges while the girls were on the sides. Both Sheen and Carl looked supportive, with smiles gracing their faces, even though their eyes held sadness at seeing their old friend leave. Libby was next to Sheen and was smiling sadly, waving at Jimmy. Cindy was next to Carl, and looked distant. Her startling green eyes were staring off into space, a far-off expression on her face. She seemed to realize that Jimmy was looking at her, because she turned and looked him in the eye.

She smiled and waved at him, trying to make it seem as if his leaving wasn't affecting her. She did a good job because after a few seconds of looking confused, Jimmy smiled and waved back.

"Thanks, guys." He said, smiling at his two best friends. He then looked at the girls. "And girls."

Libby laughed it off, and Cindy just smiled, even though under the surface she was hurting. "Ah, no problem, Jim! It's the least we could do! You _are_ our friend, after all!" Libby said. She wrapped an arm around Cindy, and while the guys were talking, she whispered in her ear, "Did you tell him?"

Cindy was about to burst into tears, her calm and carefree façade slowly cracking, and Libby noticed. She quickly told her, "Cin, it's okay. We'll talk about it later, k?" Cindy only nodded, before wiping her eyes of the small moisture that was about to fall. She fixed her expression, and turned to Jimmy.

"Hey, Neutron! You better visit us! We're your friends, after all!" She raised her eyebrows, daring him to say any different.

He laughed and nodded. "Of course I'll visit! No one can easily forget the place they lived in, right? It'll be hard, though. I won't have the money to pay for an airplane ticket to fly over here, and I obviously can't bring my hover car. I wish I could bring Goddard too, but it's not possible." He looked at his robotic dog, who had been his companion since he had created him at seven years old. Said dog whined and looked up at his owner, his eyes reflecting his sadness.

Jimmy leaned down to pet his dog and after a moment sighed, standing up. "I'll miss all of you. You are the best friends anyone could ask for."

Sheen and Carl responded quickly, telling him the same thing. Libby laughed and yelled, "Group hug!" Sheen and Carl converged on Jimmy, and Libby followed after. Only Cindy hesitated, doubting that hugging him would make getting over him easier. She caved in, though, and joined the hug. She still wonders to this day if that hand that touched her arm was Jimmy's or not. The hug ended too soon though, and Cindy never found out who had touched her.

"Jimmy, it's time to go," Mrs. Neutron said, coming out of the house. She smiled at them and said, "Kids, it's time to say your final goodbyes." Mr. Neutron came out seconds later, and smiled at his only son.

"Well, well Jimbo. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. When you have a genius for a son, you have to expect the unexpected." He wrapped an arm around his wife, who was looking at Jimmy with tear-filled eyes, but was smiling.

"We'll let you kids say goodbye. Come on Hugh." Mrs. Neutron smiled at all of them and went back inside with her husband.

Jimmy turned towards them and sighed. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, guys."

He hugged each of his friends, and willed himself to not cry. He hugged Carl, who was also trying not to cry, although he wasn't succeeding at it. His tears were shining through, about to be shed. Sheen wasn't crying, although his eyes were sad. Either way, he was smiling at his old friend, and hugged him also. Libby embraced Jimmy next, and he smiled at her. She was smiling happily at him, but there were tear tracks down her cheeks. Over the years, both of them grew to be friends, and now they cared for each other like brother and sister. Seeing Jimmy leave saddened her yet made her happy. He was going to fulfill his goals and become the world renowned scientist/inventor he was meant to be. They hugged each other and let go, smiling sadly at each other. He then moved on to Cindy.

She was using every ounce of self-control she had in her to not break down at that moment, and it was proving to be extremely difficult when he was right in front of her. He looked her in the eye, and then smiled. She forced a smile, and tried to make it seem genuine. Apparently, it worked, because he smiled again, and held out his arms.

"Can I hug you, Vortex? Or are you going to scream bloody murder?" He told her, clearly teasing. She smiled forcefully, which didn't go unnoticed by Libby, and responded.

"Scared of hugging me or what? You hugged everyone else, and I'm just going to stand here?" She shook her head, faking anger in her tone.

Jimmy grinned at this. "Very well." He then pulled her into his arms and hugged her too. She was as stiff as a board for a few seconds, and then she relaxed and hugged him back. She knew this was going to come back and bite her, but at the moment she didn't care. All she wanted was to stay in his arms forever. Jimmy didn't let go of her immediately either, so she wouldn't too.

Meanwhile, the other three were looking at Jimmy and Cindy. Libby was looking at Cindy, a knowing smile on her face. Sheen and Carl however, were surprised, wondering why Jimmy would want to hug Cindy, and for _that_ long.

Too soon, they pulled away, and both looked at their friends.

"What?" They asked in unison. Neither of them noticed they had spoken at the same time, but the three in front of them did. They gaped at them, which made Jimmy and Cindy even more confused.

Libby shook her head, thinking how in synch they were, and how they never noticed. "Nothing, nothing." Cindy looked suspicious, but let it go. She would ask Libby later. After the few moments of silence that followed, Jimmy shook his head and said, "I'll try to keep in touch guys. I will."

His parents were already exiting the house, and he would be leaving in a few moments.

"Okay Jim, don't worry about it! We'll be waiting to hear from you, okay?" Libby said. She had stopped crying and was now smiling widely.

He nodded. "Okay Libby. Like I said, I'll try."

Cindy began to be fed up with it all. "Okay Neutron. Stop with the tearful goodbyes." She pointed to him. "You're coming back, right?" Jimmy nodded, too surprised by her sudden outburst to say anything. "Then what's the point of this? You'll all see him sometime in the future, so stop with the crying. You're all giving me a headache." To emphasize, she rubbed her temples, closing her eyes.

Libby shook her head, smiling at her friend's actions. Jimmy's parents had finally reached them, and all five friends turned to them.

"Jimmy, time to go," Mrs. Neutron told her son. He nodded and walked with his mother and father to their car, getting in the backseat. He turned to look at the window and smiled at his friends. As the car started driving away, he waved to all of them. They all waved back enthusiastically, and he thought to himself, 'they really _are _going to miss me.' He smiled again, settling into his seat for the rest of the ride.

As the car became just a speck in the distance, Cindy just couldn't take the onslaught of emotions anymore. She ran to her house across the street, not bothering to check for cars. The tears were already starting, and she didn't want anyone to see her cry. She disappeared in her house and made a dash for her room.

Libby ran after her almost immediately, yelling over her shoulder to Carl and Sheen that she would see them later. She ran up the stairs of the Vortex residence and reached Cindy's door, which was closed. She opened the door and found her best friend curled up on her bed in a fetal position, crying her eyes out. She instantly went over to her, embracing her and rocking her softly.

"It's okay Cindy. Just cry. I'm here."

"Li-libby, w-w-why am I c-crying s-s-so much?" Cindy sobbed. She was frustrated with herself, wanted to stop this right now, but couldn't. Where was the strong girl, the one who never broke down in even the worst situations? This crying, unstable girl wasn't her. She never cried. She couldn't find it in her to stop though. The tears flowed freely, and there was no reining them in.

"Because you love him." Libby told her simply.

'Yes, I love him. And what do I get because of it? _Years_ of trying to get him to notice me, to get him to think of me as more than just a rival, that's what. And it never paid off because he never even looked my way, just kept drooling over Betty like some sort of brainless zombie.' She thought the last part with a bit of venom.

Here she was, crying for a boy who doesn't even know she loves him. She's brokenhearted because he never even noticed how she felt for him, and he's off to Harvard thinking everything back in Retroville is just perfect. Damn him and his big clueless brain. She's wasting tears for someone who never considered her as more than a friend.

'He will _never_ know I cried because of him. _Ever._' She thought fiercely.

After less than half an hour of not responding, Cindy finally spoke. Her voice was a bit scratchy from not using it, but she could be understood nonetheless. "I'm not denying anything, because I just don't know what I'm feeling right now." She was still crying, although now her tears just flowed silently down her cheeks. After a few minutes of silence, Cindy spoke again. "He's gone, but my feelings aren't." She sighed in frustration, and then told her friend, "They won't leave so soon, I know that. I'll either try to live with them and ignore them, or I'll use them for my benefit." The last part of her speech was said with a fierce, angry determination that Libby recognized almost immediately.

She slowly realized what the blonde girl in front of her was saying, and her eyes widened in shock. "Cin, you can't possibly mean that. Hate is hate, love is love! Two _very _different things! They're not meant to mix! You already tried that, when you used to hide your feelings by hating him, and it clearly didn't work out! Cindy, _please_ listen to me!"

Said girl closed her eyes. "Thanks Libs. Like I need to be reminded of that." She told her friend, an edge of bitterness in her tone. She kept her eyes closed until she sighed and opened her eyes once more to look Libby in the eyes. "I'm not going to change my mind, Libs. It doesn't matter how much you beg me not to."

"But girl, that's no reason to do that; Jimmy's clueless, just like Sheen and Carl!" she exclaimed.

"I know he's clueless, I just thought I could get him to realize things without me having to actually tell him what I feel." She sighed. Her previous anger dissipated quickly after those words left her mouth. The tears had subsided somewhat, although they hadn't stopped completely.

How could she have fallen so hard for the big-headed genius across the street? When did this all start?

Of course, like all romance stories, she had loved him since he moved to Retroville, right in front of her. Since she first laid eyes on him, actually. But her story didn't have a happy ending. Neutron has gone to college, and won't be back for who knows how long. She's left at home with a broken heart, crying for him, and he doesn't even know.

'Keep yourself together. Show no weaknesses.' She remembered her mother telling her that once as a child, and it soon became her motto. Show no weaknesses. And she will _not _fail that because of a **boy**.

"Aw Cindy, don't cry. Girl, it's all going to be all right, just you wait." After saying those words, Libby smiled warmly at her friend. Cindy smiled back, albeit her smile was sadder. Seeing this, she then sighed, and continued, "Cin, _please_ listen to what I'm saying. You'll only get hurt in the end. What'll happen when Jim comes back? What will you do? You know you can't keep this up forever."

Cindy sighed again. Libby was right. She couldn't keep this up forever. He would come back, and she'd fall all over again, just by looking at him.

'That doesn't mean I won't try.' She thought. It filled her with determination, which was all she needed.

To pacify Libby though, to make her think she didn't have to worry about her anymore, Cindy nodded. "Okay Libs. Can we _please _not talk about this anymore?" Libby nodded, also wanting to change the topic.

The rest of that day, both girls stayed in Cindy's room, watching every movie the blonde girl owned. Libby had slept over, and the girls went to school together the next morning.

Life went on normally, as if the boy genius had never left. His friends missed him, of course, but everyone had to get back to their lives.

Shortly after Jimmy's departure, Cindy began to go straight home after school, not even pausing to talk to her friends. She'd come to school at her usual time, but went to the library and stayed there until the bell rang to go to class. She still talked to people during class, but not as much as normal. Libby noticed the difference, but thought nothing of it. She thought she was probably trying harder for school.

Then, around a month later, she stopped talking to people altogether. She started to sit in the very front in classes and wouldn't talk to anyone. At lunch she still ate with Libby, but would stay quiet. She would give only one word answers, and wouldn't say much else. Libby then began to grow worried, and was determined to figure out why she was suddenly distant. But then her parents suddenly announced that they were moving to Florida in three weeks.

The day she told Cindy she was leaving, the green eyed girl did what was expected of her. She didn't take it very well.

"_You're _moving_?" Cindy practically yelled. In the back of her brain, she winced at how close it sounded to when she had asked Jimmy he was leaving._

_Libby sighed. "Yeah. My dad is being relocated to Florida for his job, and we all have to move there so he can work better."_

_Cindy started to shake her heed. She began pacing the length of her room, where the news had been delivered._

_She was mumbling under her breath, and Libby could barely make out what she was saying, but understood it. "No. Not again. First him, and now Libby. No, no, no. Not again, not again."_

"_Cin!" the call fell on deaf ears, as Cindy wasn't paying attention. She was too busy murmuring "no, not again" over and over again. After a few minutes of this, Libby had finally gotten tired of it and grabbed Cindy's shoulders, forcing her to stop. Cindy looked up, looking lost and sad._

"_Please don't leave Libby. Please." Cindy whispered_

_That comment made Libby hug her friend. "Oh, Cindy. I'm so sorry. I don't want to leave either, but I can't just stay while my parents go. I wish I could stay."_

"_It's okay Libs." Cindy sighed, leaning back from the hug. She sat down on her bed and looked at her best friend. "I'm fine."_

"_Are you sure girl?"_

_Cindy sighed yet again. "Yes, Libby. I'm fine. Stop worrying about me so much." She offered a small smile, and patted the spot on the bed next to her. "Come on and sit down. Don't just stand there."_

_Libby looked unconvinced at first, not believing that Cindy was actually fine, but let it go. What mattered right now was that Cindy was okay. _

Those three weeks had passed by quickly, and before the both of them knew it, it was the day before Libby was to leave.

That day, they dedicated it to having a girl's night. They watched every movie the both of them owned, laughed till tears sprang from their eyes, and recalled the memories they had shared. They told lame but funny jokes, and remembered the many inside jokes from the past. Both ate their fills of popcorn, and then some. The night of fun passed too quickly, and suddenly, it was the day Libby had to leave.

Sheen had come along, sad to see his girlfriend leave. Carl came too, but stayed quiet. Cindy was barely keeping her tears at bay, and was smiling at her friend. She and her family were already done packing, since Cindy had helped them put their things in the car. They would drive to the airport, and board an airplane to Florida.

"I'll miss you Libs." Cindy was smiling sadly. Silent tears had begun to flow down her cheeks, but she made no move to remove them. Libby smiled sadly also, and hugged her long-time friend.

"I'll miss you too." They hugged for a long time, neither of them wanting to let go. Too soon they pulled away. Libby turned to her boyfriend, who was smiling sadly.

"I'mma miss you too, you hyper ball of fun." She smiled and hugged him tightly. He hugged her just as tight, and sighed.

"Libby, call every once in a while, alright?" Sheen mumbled. Libby looked up and nodded at her boyfriend.

"Of course I'll call, Sheen. Don't you worry about that." She smiled up at him and hugged him again. She then let go and looked at Carl. He was quiet the whole time Cindy and Sheen were saying their goodbyes, and now it was time for him to do the same. Libby smiled gently at the llama lover and hugged him also. Carl hugged her back, and when they pulled back, Carl finally spoke.

"I'm going to miss you too Libby," Carl said quietly. Libby smiled again.

"I'm going to miss you too, Carl." She looked at Carl, Sheen, and Cindy. "I'll miss all three of you. And I promise to call as soon as I can get my hands on a phone." She smiled at all three of them for a moment and then sighed. "Would you three stop with the long faces? You're even making me sad." At the complaint, all three smiled. Sheen smiled cheerfully, albeit the sadness peeked through, Carl smiled sadly, and Cindy smiled genuinely, but with silent tears down her cheeks.

Libby's parents appeared, and Mr. Folfax told her daughter, "Libby, it's time to go." Cindy winced slightly. Mr. Neutron had said the exact same thing. Her mind kept repeating 'First him and now Libby. No, not again. Not again, not again, not again…' over and over. It just cruelly reminded her that she won't be seeing two of the most important people in her life anymore. Neutron is at Harvard, and Libby is going to Florida. First her rival/crush, and now her best friend. This couldn't be happening…

Libby nodded towards her father and turned to see her friends. "Well guys. I'll be talking to you later." She smiled at all of them before getting in the backseat of her parent's car. She waved to them once thee car started, and rolled down the window when it started driving away.

"BYE GUYS! I'LL MISS YOU!" she shouted out the window. The two boys and girl waved back, and Cindy shouted back the same thing before the car disappeared.

As soon as the car vanished from sight, Cindy sighed and her shoulders drooped. Sheen looked worriedly towards her, but she didn't notice. It was until he spoke to her that she noticed.

"Cindy, uh, you okay?" Said girl turned to Sheen, confused. He never talked to her because he was scared of her. She was too drained from pretending to be happy for Libby's sake to snap at him, though.

"No." she sighed once more and closed her eyes. When she opened them again a few moments later, Sheen was still looking at her worriedly. "Relax Sheen. I'm just not in the mood to snap at you or Carl today." Sighing once again, she told them, "You know what? I _am_ tired, so I'm going home. Bye." And with that, Cindy left Libby's old home.

_~Hard to deal with the pain of losing you, but I'm doing it~_

Cynthia sighed, putting down the book the book she had been trying to read. She just couldn't stop thinking of her childhood, which prevented her from reading.

She had been happy, although there was the issue with her parents almost separating, but either way, she was happy. She had a best friend she could count on anything for, she was great in school, a loyal dog, everything. Then everything changed when Jimmy and Libby left. Two of the most influential people in her life, gone. Libby moved to Florida, and Jimmy left for Harvard. She sighed again and stood up. She walked to her window and looked at the sky. There was a full moon, and she stared at it.

After a while of looking at the moon, she got up from her position in front of the window and got ready for bed. After a shower, brushing her teeth, and dressing in her pajamas, Cynthia got in her bed and closed her eyes, praying that sleep come quickly, so she wouldn't have to face the never-ending memories of the past she would die to change.

_~I would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heart, that I left unspoken~_

**SOOO, did ya like it?  
PLEASE review. Criticize it, give feedback on it, give me tips on how to make it better, whatever you want. Just PLEASE review.  
And I know that Cindy is **_**very **_**OC in this, but this is meant to show of her weakness of losing the people around her. **

**If you guys and girls want a chapter two, tell me in a review. (THAT RYHMED!:O) I already have the idea; I just need to know if anyone liked this enough to make it into a two-shot, probably more.**

**BYEZ!**


	2. Chapter 2: Birthday party part 1

**~*HEADS UP*~:**

This chapter skips ahead a year after the first chappie.

**Ok, here's chapter 2 of What Hurts The Most for the reviewers who reviewed.:)**

**Reviews:**

**Yep****: Don't worry on that, I WANT to finish this, because it's just so awesome to write.:D (This response also applies to the second Yep)  
****gabec66****: Thank you, thank you. I tried to make it as conflicted as possible, and here's the second chapter.**

**Ok, this story will most likely be a two-shot, but if I get more ideas for this, it'll become a full-fledged story. It all depends on how well this story is received and, of course, my muse. Of course, writer's block is also a major problemo, but meh. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I sadly don't own JN and co.;(**

Chapter 2

Cynthia smirked as she walked into Retroville High after the 2-week long spring break. Usually, she was greeted with nothing but silence and invisibility, but today was now different. Today she wasn't walking into the school alone.

People were looking at her, yes, but more at the person next to her, who happened to be Liberty "Libby" Danielle Folfax. She had moved back to Retroville over the break, and also had registered as a junior for the rest of the second semester before.

Libby smiled and waved at everyone she recognized in the hallways, loving the attention she was getting. Cynthia stood next to her, smirking at everyone, noticing that most weren't as shocked about Libby being back, but that Cynthia herself was walking and talking with another human being.

"Hey, let's go to the office. I still need to get my schedule and locker number." Libby said, steering them over to the main office.

"Okay. There's still enough time before the bell rings, anyways." Cynthia shrugged and let herself be led by Libby.-+

When they both walked into the office, the secretary looked up. She looked at Libby and smiled. "Ah, I assume you're the new student?" the secretary asked. Her name slipped Cynthia's mind, no matter how much she tried to remember.

Libby smiled. "Yes ma'am," she said.

"Can I have your name sweetheart?" she asked.

"Liberty Folfax ma'am," Libby responded, smiling at the woman. Cynthia looked over to her desk and noticed the name. Mary. She suppressed the urge to snap her fingers in discovery, and settled for smiling at the woman.

Mary typed in the name and nodded. "Yes, here you are. Liberty Folfax, a junior." She printed out Libby's schedule and locker number and handed it to her. "I hope you like it here," she looked at Cynthia, "and Miss Vortex, I expect you to show Liberty around." She smiled kindly at Cynthia, who returned it. She nodded.

"Of course I'll show her around Mary. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't, now would I?" She smiled as she said the last part Mary smiled also and nodded. She motioned to the door.

"Well then, get going! You two wouldn't want to be late, would you?" They both shook their heads, and went out the door. Soon, they were both in front of Libby's locker, and Libby was opening it with the numbers the secretary had given her.

"So," Libby began, "Mind showing me your schedule? I need to see if I have any classes with my girl." She turned to Cynthia and smiled. Cynthia smiled back and nodded. She looked through her and pulled out her schedule for the second semester. Libby took it and examined hers and Cynthia's before nodding.

"We have Government and P.E. together, and we have the same lunch," she told the blonde, who nodded. Libby handed back her schedule, and Cynthia put it back in her binder.

"I have AP physics for first period, but I need to stop by my locker first." Libby nodded and they walked together to Cynthia's locker. She opened it with ease and took out her AP physics book. She closed it again and turned to Libby. "What's your first class?" she asked.

Libby looked at her schedule again and replied. "I have German." Cynthia nodded.

"That isn't too far from the science building, so I'll show you where it is." She began walking towards the classrooms, and soon noticed that Libby wasn't walking. She turned around and gestured for Libby to come with her.

"Come on Libby! We need to get to class!" Cynthia said.

Libby looked around, and Cynthia realized she was searching. For what, she didn't know. "Cin, can you help me find Sheen?" she asked. Cynthia stifled her surprise at her old nickname and sighed. It had been a long time since she heard that nickname. She nodded and walked in the other direction. She motioned for Libby to follow. They walked outside, where Sheen was sitting alone on a table, furiously scribbling away at a paper. He felt the two girls' presence and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Cynthia, the work forgotten.

"C-cynthia? What are you doing here?" he asked, bewildered. She never came up to him or talked to him, and it confused him beyond belief as to why she was standing in front of him.

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Hello Sheen. Look next to me." Sheen did as he was told, and his eyes widened even more, if possible.

"L-libby?" he asked, in shock. Libby smiled warmly at her boyfriend.

"The one and only. Hi Sheen." Sheen immediately stood up and wrapped his girlfriend in a tight hug. Libby laughed warmly and hugged him back.

"I missed you so much, Libby," Sheen mumbled. She smiled again and kissed his cheek.

"I missed you too, you hyper ball of fun," she said, repeating the words she had told him when she moved away. In response, he hugged her tighter.

All the while, Cynthia was off to the side, watching the whole scene. She was happy for Libby, of course. She had a loyal boyfriend who still loved her, and nothing looked to be wrong in her life. She just wished that were her. She sighed.

She wished she had told Jimmy that she loved him, she wished that he had stayed, she wished that he was her boyfriend, she wished he loved her, she wished she could see him again. She wished a lot of things, a lot of things that would never come true. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked to the ground.

This was the reason why she shied away from the crowds at school, why she was always helping the secretaries, the principal, the librarians, and such. Having to watch all the happy couples walk around the school is enough to make her depressed.

Libby pulled away from Sheen's hug and sat down on the table, gesturing with her hands for both of them to sit down also. Sheen immediately sat down to the right of Libby, while Cynthia took the left side.

Libby began to fire off questions for the both of them. "Ok, mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Why did he call you Cynthia? Why did you look surprised when Cindy came over here? Where's Carl? WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE?"

Cynthia sighed. This was going to take some time to explain, and the bell to go to class was going to ring soon. "He called me Cynthia because that's what everyone calls me now. He was surprised to see me because we never talk to each other. Carl is somewhere in the school, and many things happened when you left." Cynthia finished. She sighed again. Sheen just nodded.

Libby gaped at Cynthia, unable to speak for a few minutes. She finally closed her mouth and stared off into space. She then looked at Cynthia after and in her eyes were a million questions.

"Ok, first off, explain to me why no one calls you Cindy no more." Libby said. She looked Cynthia straight in the eye and refused to look away. Cynthia stared back and finally sighed. She looked down.

"Do you know how it feels when you lose two important people in your life?" Cynthia whispered quietly. Libby barely understood her. This question caused Libby to cock her head to the side in confusion. Libby looked up and glanced at Sheen, who was looking at Cynthia with sympathy. What did she mean? She touched Cynthia's shoulder gently, and in response, Cynthia looked up at her. Libby gasped. In her best friend's eyes was so much sadness and loneliness that she immediately hugged her.

"Honey, tell me everything that happened," Libby whispered in Cynthia's ear. Cynthia nodded and pulled away. She took a deep breath and exhaled, and looked Libby in the eye.

"When you two left, I guess I just couldn't handle it," she mumbled, looking at the ground. "My best friend had moved away, and the only person who made me want to work harder went to Harvard. I stopped talking to people, not wanting to depend on anyone anymore, because I was scared that they would leave too." She then looked up and met Libby's gaze. "It hurt too much when people called me by my nickname, so I began to respond only to Cynthia, since no one but my mother called me that. Slowly, everyone began calling me that, and now no one dares to call me Cindy anymore." She looked to Sheen. "As far as Sheen and Carl, I guess they were too scared of me to talk to me, so they never came up to me." She took another deep breath and mumbled once more while facing the ground. "Since I had stopped talking to people and Sheen and Carl never came up to me, I became the loner." She looked at her friend in the eye. "I still am the loner. That's why everyone was so surprised when we came through the door. They were surprised that I was talking to someone my age; that I wasn't heading straight to library or the office like usual."

Libby stayed silent, too shocked to say anything. After a few minutes of silence, Cynthia finally looked up and looked at Sheen.

"Wasn't expecting to see my vulnerable side, huh?" She smirked at him. Sheen just stared at her. Cynthia sighed and talked again. "If you say anything to anyone about this, I'll make sure you never say anything else in your life, got it?" At this, Sheen did respond, and he nodded feverishly. Satisfied, she began to collect her things, just as the bell rang to go to class. She smiled and stood up.

"Well, it's time to go class. Come on Libby, I'll show you where your German class is." She began to walk away, expecting Libby to follow her.

Libby blinked, returning to reality, and stared after her friend. She turned to Sheen and pecked his cheek. "I'll see you later Sheen," she said. He nodded and she walked off with Cynthia to class.

WHTMWHTMWHTMWHTM

With Libby back in Retroville, Cynthia began to open up once more. She talked to other people and sat with Libby at lunch, and because of it, she also sat with everyone she used to talk to on a daily basis. They all welcomed her back graciously, no questions asked. Cynthia couldn't have been more grateful for their generosity, and thanked any god she could for having awesome friends.

Soon enough, Cynthia's birthday came along, and the end of the year also. The last day of school was also her birthday, and Cynthia and Libby decided to have the party on that same day. The plans were made, and all that was left was for June 5th to come.

"Happy birthday, girl. How does it feel to be one year closer to old age?" Libby asked, coming up to the blonde, smiling.

Cynthia laughed, and her eyes sparkled. Even though the shine wasn't as bright as it was when they were eleven, it was still there, and Libby couldn't help but smile even wider. Her best friend was coming back.

"Haha Libs. You'll be turning seventeen too, so I wouldn't be saying anything." She smiled widely at her and looked around at the people who had come to the party. Since Mr. and Mrs. Vortex had left on their second honeymoon— they had left a present for the birthday girl beforehand, of course— the house didn't have any parental supervision. It was perfect for the party to be held, as Libby had put it.

The statement caused Libby to laugh also, and when she was done, she grinned at Cynthia. "I know, but I still have six months until mine."

Cynthia shook her head good naturedly at her friend and laughed a little. The doorbell then rang across the house, and Cynthia walked to the door to open it. She was still giggling slightly at Libby's comment, but when she opened the door to reveal the person on the other side, her smile and laughter immediately dissipated.

James Isaac Neutron was back.

He had a present in his hands and was smiling at her. She forced a smile and called Libby. The girl instantly came to her best friend's side, and suppressed a gasp when she saw who was at the door. "Look who is back in Retroville, Libby." Cynthia said sweetly, clenching her teeth.

Libby smiled weakly at the boy in front of them. "Hi Jimmy," Libby said, sending a small wave. She knew instinctively when Cynthia was mad, and right now, her best friend's temper was bursting through the roof. She didn't know why, but she had to figure out the reason and calm her down before she did anything she will regret later on. "Come on in," she told him, moving Cynthia away from the doorway as she did so. "Just put the present on that table over there please," she called over her shoulder as she hauled Cynthia upstairs to her room. "We'll be right back, enjoy the party!"

As soon as they were in Cynthia's room with the door securely locked, Libby turned to Cynthia.

"Okay girl, tell me why you're mad," she demanded. Cynthia was glaring hatefully at the door, and sighed angrily.

Cynthia answered a question with a question. "What the _hell_ is he doing here?" she growled. She began pacing the length of her room in an attempt to calm down.

Libby sighed. That was the answer. "Girl, sit down." Cynthia bit her lip angrily and complied, sitting on her computer chair. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"Why in the hell is he here after four years of ignoring us?" She looked up at her friend. "And he decided to drop by on my birthday, no less." She laughed humorlessly and stood up. She began pacing again. "Why now, of all days? Why_ today_?" she said, frustrated.

Libby sighed again and chose to sit down on Cynthia's bed. "I don't know Cin. But what I do know is that you can't just ignore him or look at him like you're going to kill him. Try to act as if his presence doesn't affect you. It's your day, and you shouldn't be wasting your time getting mad."

Cynthia nodded absently, deep in thought "Yes, it's my day, and I won't let him ruin it." She finally stopped her pacing and faced Libby, smiling. "Now let's go and have fun, shall we?" Libby nodded, and they both descended down the stairs.

When Cynthia and Libby came down the stairs to the living room, they noticed that Jimmy was talking to Sheen and Carl, probably catching up after four years. She plastered a smile on her face when they approached them.

"Hi guys," Libby said. She pecked Sheen's cheek and smiled at Carl and Jimmy. "Enjoying the party?"

Sheen smiled. "Yeah, now that you're here." That made Libby giggle and Cynthia roll her eyes.

"Hey Carl, where's Elke? Isn't she here?" Cynthia asked politely. Carl nodded.

"Yeah she's here. She went to get your present Cynthia," Carl responded. Cynthia nodded and looked at Libby.

"I'm going to get some water, I'll be right back." Libby nodded to her and Cynthia began to walk away.

Jimmy grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her. She looked back with a furious expression, and Jimmy suppressed the urge to back away in surprise. Instead, he smiled at her. "I'm going with you," he told her. She bit back a response and just smiled, although it was a bit strained. She didn't say anything and continued walking to the kitchen. He followed her wordlessly and when they reached the kitchen she finally turned to him, her eyes sparking with anger.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded to know. He backed away a little in surprise and a confused expression creeping onto his face.

"What? What are you talking about Cin?" he asked.

"Don't call me that," she snarled, the question forgotten. His eyes widened and he became even more confused.

"Why can't I call you Cin? Everyone calls you that don't they?" he asked her. This enraged her even more, and her fingers began to twitch, wanting to hit something, mainly him.

"Haven't you been listening? No one calls me Cin _or _Cindy anymore." She spat out the nicknames. His eyes narrowed.

"And why won't anyone call you by those names then? Tell me if you don't want me to call you that." He demanded. He came close to her, and attempted to touch her hand.

She realized what he was about to do and pulled back her hand. "Don't touch me," she growled. He backed away, his hands up in defense. His eyes narrowed again.

"What the hell happened to you Cindy?" he asked, now angry too. "Why the hell are you acting like this?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I changed Neutron," she hissed. She pointed a finger at him. "I'm like this because of you." She stalked towards him. "It's your fault I'm like this, and you have no one else but yourself to blame," she whispered, her voice low.

His eyes began to light with anger. "If I made you like this, then tell me what I did wrong! Tell me what I did to make you become this, this, different person!"

"Are you really _that _clueless?" She all but yelled at him. The angry spark in her eyes increased tenfold, and she forced herself to calm down. She closed her eyes and turned away from him, taking in deep breaths. She put both hands on the counter and reminded herself that it wouldn't do any good if she exploded right now.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Cindy, are you o-" Cynthia turned around and slapped him. He cupped his cheek, shock written all over his face.

Her eyes shined dangerously. "Don't call me Cindy. Or any other nickname. My name is Cynthia, and if you ever call me Cindy again, I will make you regret ever opening your mouth. Got it Neutron?" she was visibly shaking with rage, and Jimmy remembered the expression 'If looks could kill.' He kept down the urge to shudder and narrowed his eyes.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want Vortex," he spat. She glared at him intensely, and he returned the favor. They stayed like that for several minutes until Libby came in.

She had wondered what had taken Cynthia so long, and came to find out. It wasn't _that_ time consuming to get a glass of water. She walked into the kitchen and saw them glaring at each other, and sighed.

She approached them and she noticed that Jimmy's right cheek was red. 'He made her mad,' she thought. She touched Cynthia's shoulder and squeezed, a motion that Cynthia recognized immediately. She turned to her best friend and smiled warmly. She backed away from Jimmy and faced Libby, and Jimmy relaxed, leaning on the countertop to observe the two friends talking.

"Hey Libs. Needed something?" Cynthia asked. Libby sighed once again.

"Yeah. What I need is for you two to stop fighting. It gives me a headache, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate the silence." She looked at Cynthia. Her eyebrow was raised, daring her to say anything contradictory.

She turned to Jimmy, and the smile gracing her face disappeared as soon as it had come. She glared at Jimmy, who glared back. She looked at Libby again and said, "Fine. I'll be outside." She looked at Jimmy again. "And you'll answer my question later," she said, pointing at him.

With that, she walked out the back door to her backyard, her blond hair flying behind her. Libby sighed again and looked to Jimmy. She raised an eyebrow at 'the question,' but she let it slide, settling on asking why her friend was mad

"Sorry to ask this, but what the hell did you tell her?" Libby asked. Jimmy shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Nothing. I didn't tell her anything." He sighed and leaned against the counter again. Libby sighed and crossed her arms.

"She didn't get mad for no reason. Tell me everything you told her," she said.

Jimmy sighed. "She asked me what I was doing here, and I got confused. I asked her what she was talking about, and she snapped, telling me not to call her Cindy. I as—" He got cut off by Libby sighing and shaking her head.

"_That's _why she got mad." She looked up at him. "She doesn't like or want to be called Cindy anymore. And don't ask me why, the one you need to ask that is Cynthia." She raised an eyebrow once again. "And you can also ask her about 'the question.'"

Jimmy sighed again, running a frustrated hand through his hair yet again. "How the hell can I ask her if she's going to act like that?" he said.

Libby shrugged. "Don't get her mad," She simply said. She then smiled. "And later we'll talk about you and the past four college years." She winked at him. "I assume you had fun, eh Jim?" With a laugh, Libby walked out, leaving a speechless and blushing Jimmy.

He shook his head and stood there for a bit, contemplating on whether or not her should go out there and talk to Cin—Cynthia. He sighed.

"What happened while I was gone?" he asked himself quietly.

He finally decided to go outside. He hesitantly stepped out and looked around for Cin—Cynthia. He found her on an old swing set in the corner, swinging softly and staring at the night sky, a far off expression on her face. He smiled gently and approached her.

She had known since the patio door was opened that it was Neutron, but chose not to acknowledge that she knew. She just stared at a distant star in the sky and absently swung herself, waiting for him to get closer.

He stood in front of her and breathed in deeply. "Listen Ci- Cynthia. I'm sorry for making you mad. It's your birthday, and I shouldn't have ruined it," he said. It hurt his pride a _lot_, but he said it anyways.

Cynthia looked up at him, sincerely surprised. He had apologized to her? Him, James Neutron, had apologized to her, Cynthia Vortex? She must be dreaming.

"Did you just say what I thought you did?" she asked, baffled. Jimmy sighed and nodded. He sat down on the swing next to her.

"Yes, yes you did." That comment made her shake her head and smile slightly. They sat in silence for a few minutes until she spoke.

"You changed Neutron. Before, you were so prideful and stubborn that you never admitted that you were wrong." She smiled again and her eyes became unfocused; Jimmy assumed that she was remembering the past.

Instead of starting another fight by disagreeing again, Jimmy chuckled. "You've changed too Vortex. You've told me yourself. You're still impatient and have a quick temper, of course, but it seems as though you've learned to rein in your anger. Although that outburst in the kitchen proves my theory wrong, huh?" he said. She snapped out of her reverie and raised an eyebrow.

"You live to make me mad, don't you?" she asked. She was smiling slightly though, so he knew she wasn't trying to start arguing. He smiled back.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. That's up to you to decide, Cin." He held up a hand so she wouldn't talk when she opened her mouth. "And don't tell me not to call you Cin or Cindy, because like I said in there," cue the point to the house, " I'll call you whatever the hell I want," he finished, smiling.

She shook her head. "I stand corrected. You're _still_ stubborn." She said. He laughed at that comment, and the corners of Cynthia's lips curled up ever so slightly. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jimmy spoke up.

"How about we go back inside the house? I bet everyone's wondering where the birthday girl is." He got up and held out a hand to Cynthia. He smiled at her once again. "Happy birthday Cindy." She smiled back and took his helping hand to get up.

"Thank you Jimmy." She started walking back to the patio door, knowing that Jimmy was standing there like an idiot, surprised that she had called him by his actual name. She smiled to herself and turned around.

"Well, you're coming inside, aren't you?" Jimmy turned to look at her and nodded. He ran to where she was and they both walked in.

**And there it is. Beware though, this is only part one. Part two of the birthday party will come in around two weeks, more or less, because I'm almost done with it. I still need to start on my other story's ninth chapter, and that might take a while.**

**Review please, and BYE!  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Birthday Party part 2

**Here's chapter 3 and also part two of the Birthday.  
Reviews:  
****Anonymous****: Thank you for taking the time to review this, and here it is. I hope you enjoy it!:)  
Thank you SO much Annonymous for reviewing! Your review made my day!:) It also inspired me to finish this, because I had encountered a severe case of writer's block, which prevented me from writing any more of this for a while.  
Ah writer's block, how I hate you. *Insert angry face here***

**Anyways, read on.:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own JN.**

Chapter 3

The party went off without a hitch. Everyone attending were relieved (also a bit surprised) to see that Jimmy and Cynthia weren't arguing, and were actually coexisting peacefully.

The cake was cut outside in the backyard, and a cake throwing fight ensued soon after. Cake was flying everywhere, and laughter was heard echoing throughout the neighborhood, mainly Cynthia's. In the end, everyone attending was covered head to toe in chocolate cake with pink, white, and green icing.

Almost everyone had left after the cake fight, besides Libby, Elke, Sheen, Carl, and Jimmy. All six of them, including Cynthia, were standing close to the pool, where the cake fight had begun, and the girls were busy trying to stop smiling.

Cynthia smiled widely at Libby and Elke while wiping off a smudge of green icing off of her face, and both girls smiled back. They looked at the boys, who were covered completely, and they burst out laughing. Carl, Sheen, and Jimmy looked at the strangely, but their laughter didn't cease. If anything, there bewildered looks set off another round of giggles.

A few minutes later, they finally stopped laughing, with an occasional random giggle now and then. Cynthia wiped away a tear caused by their laughter from her eye. "Thanks guys. I needed that." She giggled again, and covered her mouth to try to stifle it. Libby and Elke giggled too, and the giggling began once more.

"It is no problem. It's good to laugh," Elke said, smiling at the other blonde.

"Yeah, no problem girl. Everyone needs an occasional cake to the face to loosen up." She smiled and nodded to the boys. "Even them!" Cynthia looked to them once again and laughed a bit. She nodded and smiled.

"Yup. Even them." Her eyes were sparkling with joy, and she was smiling so much that no one would've ever believed that she was once sad. Libby smiled also, noticing how happy her best friend was.

"We're standing right here, you know!" Sheen complained. All three girls turned to him, and Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, we know that," she said. Libby and Elke giggled in agreement and nodded.

"Why do you think we're saying it right now?" Libby said, grinning. Elke and Cynthia smiled again and nodded also. All three boys shook their heads and Jimmy wiped off some icing away from his eyes. He was about to say something when Libby gasped and turned to Cynthia and Elke.

"Girls," Libby whispered, motioning for Cynthia and Elke to gather around her. "How about we jump into the pool?" she whispered, her eyes shining. Cynthia and Elke looked at the boys, who were curious as to why they were whispering, and turned back to Libby. Both nodded, smiling.

Libby smiled back. "Ok, how about this: we grab the guys and jump in the pool with them?" Elke nodded vigorously, but Cynthia seemed hesitant. Libby noticed and sighed.

"Cin, come on. It'll surprise them, and their faces will be priceless." She sang quietly. She smiled as she saw Cynthia's face, noting that she was caving.

She sighed. "Ok, ok. I'll go along with it," she whispered. Elke and Libby rejoiced quietly, and looked back to the boys. They were even more confused, staring at them. Libby smiled widely at them and looked back to Cynthia and Elke.

"Here's the plan: Elke, you grab Carl. Cin, you grab Jimmy, and I'll grab Sheen." Again, Cynthia looked hesitant. Libby sighed. "Girl, you're just going to throw him in the pool. You aren't going to kiss him." Cynthia shook her head, trying in vain to get the thought out of her mind.

"Fine." She sighed. She forced a smile and nodded. Libby nodded her approval and whispered again.

"Ok. Cin, you and Jim will go in first, and then Elke and I will jump in with Sheen and Carl. Got it?" Libby smiled when the blondes nodded.

"Let's do this!" she whispered to the girls. They all nodded eagerly and straightened up. They walked over to the boys, who were conveniently standing close to the pool, and smiled. Sheen and Carl smiled back nervously and backed away slightly at seeing the girl's smiles, and Jimmy just narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Cynthia took in a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do. She put on a slightly confused expression, suddenly thankful for all those acting classes her mother had put her through when she was younger. "What's wrong Neutron? Why do you look suspicious?" she asked him. She approached him and looked at him. They were now about the same height, although Jimmy was still slightly taller. Cynthia was 5'7, while Jimmy was 5'9.

"You three are planning something." Jimmy simply said, narrowing his eyes once more. She looked at him as if had lost his mind and shook her head.

"The only thing we're planning is Carl's birthday party. Libby had an idea and she couldn't wait to tell us." She told him, thinking up an excuse on the spot. She tried as hard as she could to sound convincing and almost got there, but he narrowed his eyes again. She kept the urge to roll her eyes down and waited for him to talk.

"If it was just an idea for Carl's birthday, then why did you three advance on us with those smiles on your faces?" he asked skeptically.

She raised an eyebrow. "So now Libby and Elke can't smile at their boyfriends and I can't smile at my rival?" she knocked lightly on the side of his head. "Are you sure your big brain is actually working in there?" He shoved her hand away, rolling his eyes, and Cynthia suppressed a smile.

"Forget it Vortex," he muttered, and Cynthia smiled victoriously. She softened the smile though, and spoke again.

"I'm not lying Neutron. Believe me, it was only a sudden idea that had to come out on Libby's part." He looked up and into her eyes, searching for any hint of lying. Again she thanked her mother for the acting classes, because she showed the right amount of sincerity on her face so he wouldn't suspect anything. After a few seconds, he sighed and looked down. He looked back up, though, and he smiled, a small sparkle in his eyes. She inwardly sighed in relief, glad he had believed her.

"Ok then. Can you tell me the plans, or is it so top secret that it can't even be mentioned?" he teased. Cynthia smiled at the comment and went closer to him. He backed away, and she kept on advancing, noting that the plan was going to go perfectly well. They stopped a few feet before the pool, and she talked again.

"I don't know. Can I trust you?" she put on a coy smile and leaned in. She put a finger on his chest and pushed softly. Before he could say anything, she hugged him tightly. He jumped, surprised, and instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She smiled a little into his shirt and pushed them over the edge.

She only heard a bewildered, "What?!" from Jimmy, and then they were underwater.

He hugged her tighter when they were under, and for a moment that felt like a lifetime, neither of them moved. Jimmy just hugged her as tightly as possible in the water, and Cynthia gladly did the same. She was extremely content and was completely willing to stay there with him, but sadly, their lungs needed air.

They both collected their thoughts and began pushing upwards to reach the surface.

They popped up and saw Carl and Elke falling into the water and Sheen and Libby tipping over. They turned their faces the other way to avoid getting splashed in the face, and Cynthia realized that she and Jimmy still had their arms around each other. She turned away from him, trying as hard as she could to keep the blush that was threatening to appear down and off her face. She breathed in and out in an attempt to prevent the blush and looked to where Libby and Elke had fallen over the edge with their boyfriends. She could see that Carl and Elke were coming up to the surface and that Libby and Sheen were still under.

She knew she had to let go of Jimmy before Libby and Sheen came up, because she knew for a fact that Libby would tease her about it endlessly, but didn't want to. Jimmy would notice sooner or later (sooner rather than later, actually) that they were still hugging, and she just couldn't let that happen.

She sighed quietly and thought up a way to get out of his arms without it being awkward. A light bulb went off in her head and she smiled, happy for the quick idea.

She quickly disentangled her arms from the hug and pushed against his chest with both hands, noting with a twinge of regret that he looked a little hurt. She shook it off, instead focusing on the plan. She smiled and winked at him before taking a deep breath and diving back under the water.

She smiled once under and began to swim to the bottom. She felt a hand on her arm and someone turned her around. She couldn't see, clearly because she was underwater, and felt something small and square-like against her lips. Figuring out who it was, she opened her mouth, letting the person push the little square in, and chewed.

After a few moments of chewing the gum he had given her, Cynthia felt a smile grow on her face. She still had her eyes closed, as she knew from experience the consequences that came with opening her eyes in water.

"Cindy, open your eyes," she heard Jimmy say. She jumped. She shook her head, and thought, 'I've finally gone crazy. I'm hearing voices in my head, and it's Neutron's, no less.' She heard Jimmy sigh.

"Cindy, just open your eyes." She shook her head again, which made Jimmy sigh again. Yup, she was going crazy. He mumbled something unintelligible, and Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Stop raising your eyebrow and open your eyes, Vortex. You can also talk, you know," she heard, and Cynthia raised her eyebrow again. She opened her mouth, deciding to test it out.

"How do you know that I'm raising an eyebrow?" she asked. She felt a wave of relief when she found that she could talk without water going into her mouth. He sighed again.

"Because my eyes are open and I just watched you do it," he said, sounding exasperated. She sighed.

"Fine, I'll open my eyes. But when my eyes start to burn, I'm going to kick your ass when we're outside," she told him. She tentatively opened one eye, and it widened. She could see clearly. She opened both eyes completely and stared at Jimmy, who was smirking at her.

"I told you," was all he said. She wasn't paying attention though. She was looking around her in wonder. She could see underwater! She could _talk _underwater! No goggles, nothing covered her eyes or mouth at all. She was beyond amazed. She turned to look at him, her eyes shining.

"When did you make this?" she asked, looking around once more. He smiled softly. She was _really_ enjoying this.

"When we were eleven. Although I added the advantage of being able to see a few years ago." She looked at him, eyes wide in disbelief, and stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to process the new information

"And you're barely showing this to us why?" she said. He shrugged.

"I haven't had the chance. I thought right now would be the perfect time. Oh, and this will last for half an hour." He told her. She nodded and looked up at the surface.

"We should head back up now. Everyone's going to start to get worried about us," she said, looking at Jimmy.

He mumbled something she didn't get, then sighed and nodded. "Yes, we should go back up." She saw that he wasn't too happy about it, but didn't say anything. She nodded and they swam to the surface.

Once their heads popped up, Libby and Elke sighed in relief. Jimmy and Cynthia swam over to their friends and Cynthia was immediately wrapped in a group hug by Libby and Elke.

"Girl, you had us worried! We thought that you weren't going to come back up!" Libby said.

Elke nodded in agreement. "Ya, we were worried!" They looked at Cynthia, waiting for an explanation.

Cynthia shook her head. "The one you should ask the questions is him." She pointed to Jimmy. "Not me."

Libby raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless looked to the person in question.

"Come on girls," Libby told the blondes. They swam to where the trio was floating and stood in front of them, getting their attention. "Jim, could you answer some questions for us please?" she told the genius. He looked confused, but nodded.

"Of course Libby. Go ahead." He said. Libby smiled at him.

"Could you please explain to us all how you and Cin managed to stay at the bottom of the pool without coming up for air?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow at Cynthia at the nickname, and she ignored him in response. Libby watched the exchange between Cynthia and Jimmy and raised an eyebrow, but chose to stay quiet, choosing to ask Cynthia later. Jimmy turned to Libby and smiled slightly and nodded.

"I think it would be better if I showed you," he said, reaching in the pocket of his jeans. He took out four small yellow squares. "I present the Neutronic Air Gum, which lets you breathe, see, and talk underwater." He held out the pieces of gum. "Go ahead and take one." Immediately, Libby, Sheen, Carl, and Elke grabbed one and chewed. "Now go underwater and have fun," Jimmy told his friends.

Carl smiled. "Thanks Jim. It's been a long time since I've done this."

"Yeah Jimmy. We haven't been underwater like this in a loooong time," Sheen said. Jimmy waved it off, smiling back at his friends.

"It's no problem guys. Go enjoy it." He looked to the Libby and Elke. "You girls too." They all nodded and went underwater, leaving Cynthia and Jimmy up on the surface.

"You aren't going back in?" Jimmy asked. Cynthia shook head and looked down into the water with a slightly disgusted expression.

"Nope. They're going to have their make out sessions down there now that you showed them the gum, and I don't want to be witness to that." The disgust clearly showed on her face now. Jimmy chuckled, and she turned to him.

"What, you actually want to see that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing downwards to the bottom of the pool. He shook his head, smiling.

"Of course not. I just thought it funny that 'the' Cynthia Vortex refuses to swim in her own pool because her friends are kissing in it," he said. He was still smiling, which annoyed her to no end. She glared at him and opened her mouth to retort, but he spoke again, his smile growing wider.

"And she opens her mouth to come back with a scathing remark." Her anger rose, and she grit her teeth to try and calm herself down.

She knew exactly what he was doing, and it annoyed her immensely that this still happened, that he could still get under her skin so easily after such a long time had gone by. It pissed her off that she could still let him get to her, and he knew it. His knowing smirk said it all.

"Fine. You think I'm not going to swim because they're down there? Watch me." With that, she dove underwater, choosing to stay away from the two couples on the other side of the pool and dove to the deep side. She felt Jimmy following her, and she smirked. Once she reached the bottom, she closed her eyes and sat down Indian style on the floor. She felt him sit down next to her, but she ignored him and began to relax.

She almost didn't feel the tap on her shoulder or hear her name being called later on.

Her green eyes immediately narrowed as soon as they opened. They zeroed in on who had disrupted her, and narrowed even more.

"What do you want, Neutron?" she spat, her peaceful moment gone, now replaced with the anger she had had before.

He ignored her tone and pointed to his watch. "The gum's effects will end in a few minutes. Unless you want to drown in peace here, I suggest going up."

She sighed and reluctantly got up from her spot. "Fine," was the only thing she said before shooting upwards to the surface. Jimmy came up a minute later with Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Elke right behind him.

All six got out and dried themselves of as best as they could and then Sheen, Carl, Libby, and Elke left home, saying Happy Birthday to Cynthia again before they left. Libby looked suspiciously at her best friend and the teen genius, who were the only ones left, but said nothing and left with a hug for both of them. Cynthia saw the look, and knew that Libby was going to bombard her with questions as soon as possible. As soon as her best friend had left, she sighed and pulled absently at her hair, a habit she had whenever she was in any way stressed.

Jimmy turned to her as soon as Libby had left. "Okay, you're going to tell me everything," he told her, his blue eyes staring right into her own. Forgetting about her worry, she raised an eyebrow and put an amused smile.

"What exactly is everything, oh knowledgeable one?" she asked sarcastically. He looked at her with an expression that said, 'Really?' before responding.

"What happened when I left? Tell me," he demanded. She rolled her eyes and walked to the living room, gesturing behind her for Jimmy to follow her, not even looking back to see if he was. Cynthia chose the biggest sofa and sat on the corner when they got there, and Jimmy sat on the other corner.

Cynthia sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "You want to know what happened after you left," she asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Either way, Jimmy nodded, silent. Cynthia sighed again, slightly frustrated. "Fine. I'll tell you what happened." She looked him in the eye again, and kept eye contact while she talked.

"After you left, Carl and Sheen began to grow apart. Sheen started to hang around with Libby everywhere, and Carl was left alone. I was the third wheel with Libby and Sheen, and instead I spent all my time studying and working to get better grades." Cynthia stopped, and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She opened them again and looked at a distant point.

"Libby left around a month after you did, and Sheen grew depressed. He and Carl started hanging out again, and they've been everywhere together ever since." Jimmy opened his mouth to ask a question, but Cynthia raised a hand to stop him, and continued. "When Libby left, I just put more attention to my studies. Libby came back a few months ago, and that's why she's here now. Elke moved here with her parents during freshman year, and she and Carl started dating a few weeks later."

She put her hand down and gestured for him to talk. "What was so important that you had to try to interrupt me?" she asked him finally. Jimmy just sat there, his eyes slightly wide. He shook his head and looked at her. His eyes locked on her hair and bangs, and his curiosity spiked

"Why did you cut your hair and why is your hair covering your eyes?" he asked her.

She sent him an incredulous look, as if to say, 'Really?' In response to his question, she touched the ends of her hair and shrugged. "It bothered me, so I cut it. I have it in front of my eyes because it's there."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow and chose to ignore the second sentence. "Your hair was always in a ponytail. How could it have bothered you?" he asked skeptically. Before she could answer, he continued. And if it bothered you, then why not also cut the bangs?"

"It simply bothered me," she said. "And I didn't want to cut the bangs." She said simply. Her eyes dared him to say anything else about it.

"Fine," he said, sighing. "But you'll answer me completely later on."

She snorted in response. "You really think that I'll tell you anything just because you said so? Have fun trying," she told him.

Jimmy smiled knowingly. "So you _aren't_ telling me everything."

She rolled her eyes. "I never said I was holding anything back Nerdtron," she said.

"Oh, no? Then why did you say you weren't going to tell me anything before?" he challenged.

Cynthia just rolled her eyes again. "Because what I said is true. I'm not going to tell you anything more than what I just said. That doesn't imply that I'm keeping myself from telling you anything."

They then began to stare each other down, Jimmy trying to see if Cynthia will tell him what she's not saying, Cynthia trying to get Jimmy to back down and stop asking. After a few minutes, Jimmy finally looked away.

"Fine. Don't tell me." Cynthia smirked in victory and relaxed on the sofa. She leaned back on the armrest she was resting on and looked at him, still smirking. Jimmy looked at her and rolled his own eyes.

"You already know that if I don't want to say something, I won't say it Neutron," she said, the smirk turning into a smile as she saw his face at her exclamation. "Now, if that's the only thing you wanted to discuss, then I believe that it's time for you to leave. Right now it is," she looked at the clock on the wall. "One thirty four in the morning. I want to rest, and I'm sure you do too."

Jimmy looked surprised, at what exactly she didn't know. He then nodded and stood up, stretching slightly.

"Well, good night Cindy and happy birthday," he said. Cynthia nodded and stood up also. She led him out and hugged him lightly before opening the front door. She opened it, but didn't let him leave. She grabbed his upper arm before he could step out of the threshold.

She pulled him closer to where she was standing and whispered in his ear. "And don't think I've forgotten to ask you about why you're here. You'll answer me later on," She let him go and smiled at him.

Jimmy blinked, surprised. He hadn't seen her smile genuinely at him once since he came back. He nodded after the awed look left his face and left without a word.

Cynthia closed the door and smiled to herself. She stayed that like that for a few seconds before shaking her head and descending the stairs, muttering about stupid know-it-alls. But the small smile never left her face.

**There ya go. The ending was INREDIBLY hard to write because I couldn't get it right, no matter how much I wrote it and rewrote it.*upset* But I finished it, and here it is. Sorry about not being able to post this when I said I would, but the creativity barrier known as "writer's block" prevented me from finishing it.:/ Sorry again.**

**Anyways, PLEASE review, it helps me know what people think of this chapter and this story in general, and all you people's reviews inspire me and give me ideas, literally.**

**BYE!:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter FOUR.**

**Hi people, I'm back with chapter four for you guys there.**

**Ok, time for the reviews.:)**

**mrmuscle****: You shall not wait any longer. It has arrived. :P  
****Anonymous****: :) Why thank you! :D Yes, I do need a hammer. Fortunately though, the wretched block is long gone. (For now…)  
****fat Katz****: :D Thank you!  
****LuaDude****: Thank you!:)**

*******RANDOM FACT*******

**In the famed Stranded episode, Jimmy gives Cindy a pearl, right? Well, Cindy was born in June, and the gem for June is the pearl. What a coincidence Nickelodeon…  
Lol, I just figured that out as I wrote this. :D**

**Ok, now read this new chapter.:)**

**Disclaimer thingie: Nope. Don't own it.**

Chapter 4

Cynthia's parents had come back a few days after her birthday and presented her with yet another present. She didn't complain, who would, but she was surprised.

Her parents had bought her a genuine pearl necklace, a single white and rounded pearl hanging on a golden chain. When she saw it, she immediately thought of the other pearl she had hidden in her jewelry box, away from prying eyes. Specifically her mother, who Cynthia still wasn't completely sure had stopped snooping around in her things. She didn't want to explain to her how she had a genuine pearl, and for how long. It would eventually lead to where she got it, and then to _who_ gave it to her. And she didn't want to discuss that in the slightest with her mother.

She was currently in her room; her nose buried in one of the many books she owned. She had started that book in the morning and hadn't left it ever since. She was so absorbed by the book that she almost didn't hear her mother call her downstairs.

She reluctantly put the book down. She slipped on some sandals and left her room. "Yes mother?" she said as she descended the stairs. She saw her at the door, but couldn't see who else was there.

"Liberty is here to see you," her mother said, moving aside. Cynthia's face broke out into a grin when she heard the name and widened even more as she saw Libby.

Libby smiled back and to Mrs. Vortex said, "Can we go to the Candy bar? I want to see if we can get jobs there for a little money."

Mrs. Vortex nodded. "Cynthia, you know what time you have to be home." Cynthia nodded too and took one of her many jackets that were close to the door.

"Let's go Libs. Bye mother." Mrs. Vortex smiled at her daughter as she left out the door and closed the door.

Cynthia turned to Libby. "Okay, let's go." Libby nodded and walked to her car which she had gotten by her parents. The drive to the Candy Bar was spent listening to music while Cynthia just stared out the window, watching everything go by.

When they arrived, Libby stopped Cynthia from going in just as she was about to open the door to the ice cream shop. "Girl, I need to confess." At Cynthia's confused expression she continued. "We came here to apply for a job, yeah, but there's also another reason why I brought you here."

"What Libby?" Cynthia asked, curious. Libby looked at the doors of the Candy Bar and then back to her. She sighed and just shook her head.

"Let's go in." She grabbed the blonde's wrist and dragged her in, and Cynthia surveyed the inside. It was the same as it had always had been, with its jukebox in the corner and the tons of rounded tables on the sides. Sam was managing the counter like always, and some kids were sitting in front of him eating ice cream. She smiled to herself as she remembered always coming here after school when she was their age.

Libby dragged her to a table, and she didn't fully realize what was happening until Libby let go of her wrist. She focused on who was sitting at the table and saw Carl, Elke, Sheen, and lastly, Jimmy. She looked back at Libby, who just gestured for her to sit down. She sat next to Sheen, who made room for her, and she was forced to sit next to Jimmy. She was sure Libby had planned for her to sit next to him, and to show her that she wasn't affected, she said hi to everyone including Jimmy.

"So Libs, why are we here? Because from everyone's faces, you're the only one that knows," Cynthia stated. Libby sighed and put her hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay, I admit it. The reason why I brought all you guys here is because we need to be a group again. We should at least _talk_ to each other, which we should've done years ago." She looked directly at Jimmy when she said this, and Jimmy just gave her a guilty smile. She turned back to everyone else and continued. "The least we could do is just go to the Candy Bar every once in a while, to catch up." She turned her attention on Jimmy. "So let's start with you Jim. How's the college life? We'll all be going there soon, ya know, so tell us everything."

Jimmy sat there, just looking at Libby before he opened his mouth a few seconds later. "It's different. You still have to keep your grades up, just like always, but it's more laid back. Of course, to make up for the laid back up attitude, there's homework every day for each subject." He thought for a bit, and then continued. "You're all going to like it."

Libby smiled mischievously, knowing him too well and knowing that he was purposely avoiding the other meaning of the question. "Jim, I also asked you about your life in college. Ya know, the parties, the friends, the _girls_." She knew Cynthia was going to pay even more attention than before because of this, and proved herself right when Cynthia sat up a little straighter and waited for the answer. Of course, Jimmy didn't notice this, as he was a bit busy blushing.

"Um, can I skip that question?" he asked, blushing less than before.

Libby shook her head and smiled at him again. "Nope."

He groaned and leaned back. "Fine Libby. I'll answer." He looked at every single person sitting at the table with him, stopping at Cynthia, and then closed his eyes. "I haven't gone to any parties because I'm obviously underage. I do have friends, but they're only concentrated on school. And as for the girls, no." He said this all with his eyes closed, and opened his eyes when he was done. He looked at Libby and said, "Are you happy now?"

Libby shook her head, still smiling. "Not quite. Elaborate about the girls Jim. 'No' what?" Jimmy gave her an incredulous look and sighed.

"Fine. I haven't dated anyone. I'm the youngest one there, obviously, so no, no girlfriends of any sort and no interactions with them either." He looked at Libby again, his eyes telling her, 'Are you done?'

Libby just smiled once more. "Ok, no girls and no interactions with them. I'll leave you alone for now Jim, but just know that I'm not done asking you questions."

He nodded eagerly. "Fine, later." He looked at everyone sitting at the table with him and smiled. "Well, since I've already had my personal life pried at and scrutinized, let's hear everyone else's." He looked at Libby and a small smile appeared on his face. "Let's start with Libby."

She just smiled back. "What do want to know Jim?"

Jimmy thought about it for a bit, then responded, "everything that happened after I left."

Libby nodded and looked to Sheen, Carl, and Cynthia. "You three will have to help me tell this." She turned to Jimmy again. "This will be a little long," she warned him. Jimmy just nodded.

"I don't mind. I'll listen to every bit of it." Libby nodded again.

She exhaled, and then began, "Ok, when you left, we all started to hang out separately. Cin and I would hang out with Sheen, and Carl would always go to sit by himself. Around a month after you left, my parents announced that we would be moving. I left, and I tried to get in touch with everyone, but it proved to be hard because Cindy would always forget to answer her phone and Carl forgot my number. I could still talk to Sheen though." At this, she squeezed her boyfriend's hand. He squeezed hers back and smiled at her. She smiled back and turned back to Jimmy. "When I came back a few months ago, I found Cin immediately. We walked to school just like the old days," she smiled as she leaned across the table and put her hand on Cynthia's, who smiled also, "There, I found Sheen and later Carl. He was with Elke, who moved here around a week after I had gone. Ever since then, we've all been hanging out together." She smiled at Sheen, Carl, Cynthia, and Elke, who all smiled back. She turned back to Jimmy. "My part's done." She looked at the other three. "Who's up next?"

Carl lifted his hand. "I'll go next," he said. He looked at the table as he began. "After you left Jim, I started to sit by myself. The day that Libby moved, I got an email from Elke telling me that she and her parents were moving to Retroville in a week. I stayed alone for the rest of the time until Elke moved here, then I started hanging out with her. A few weeks later, we started dating. That was back in seventh grade, and just a few months ago when Libby came back, we started hanging out together again." He looked up. "That's about it for me." Elke took his hand and squeezed it, and he squeezed her back.

Sheen raised his hand. "I'll go next!" Jimmy gestured for him to continue, and Sheen nodded. "Weell, everyone else already told you the basics, so you already know what happened. However, my version is slightly different, since it's me." Sheen had stopped again, and Jimmy impatiently gestured for him to talk again. He looked lost, but then remembered the conversation and grinned widely. "So, you left, then Libby left. Cindy grew—" he stopped when Libby motioned for him to stop as subtly as she could. Cynthia looked up and looked up at him, her eyebrow going up. He didn't see Cynthia, but saw Libby. He nodded and continued, "_Cynthia_ grew—" Libby squeezed his hand to stop him yet again. She whispered something in his ear, and his face dawned in understanding. "Oh! Ok." He saw Cynthia, and realized that she was irritated, her eyes daring him to say it.

He began again, and cast a scared look towards Cynthia, who was eyeing him as if she were going to kill him. He gulped and continued, "Okay, um, both of you left and we didn't hang out. Carl sat alone, I sat alone and I don't know what Cynthia did." He looked towards her again, hoping that by saying her name right she wouldn't kill him. She just sighed impatiently and drummed her fingers against the table. Sheen continued, albeit a little scared, whilst Jimmy watched the exchange, his curiosity peaked. "Um, yeah. Elke moved here, and she and Carl hung out. They started dating a few weeks later, and then just a few months ago, Libby called me, telling me she was coming back. She didn't tell me when, so I didn't know. She came back, and the rest is history."

Libby, Sheen, Carl, and Elke turned to Cynthia. She smirked. "I already told him my version. After the party, he forced me to tell him." Libby turned to Jimmy, raising an eyebrow.

"So _that's_ why you stayed behind. You cornered my best friend and made her tell you?" Jimmy was at a loss for words until he saw that Libby had started to smile.

Libby smiled even wider and leaned over the table and extended her hand, palm up. "Awesome! High five!" she said laughing. Jimmy laughed also and high fived her. Meanwhile, Cynthia just rolled her eyes at the exchange.

Just then Sam came up to their table. "Are you going to order something? Get something or get out, yeah!" Sam looked like he hadn't changed a bit in the seven years that had passed. He was older, but it wasn't as noticeable. He still acted the same as he did all those years ago.

Cynthia nodded. "We are getting something Sam." Libby spoke up before she could continue though.

"Yeah we are. Three triple-fudge banana splits please. With everything." She smiled at him, and Sam nodded as he wrote it down and muttered unintelligible things as he left.

Cynthia was about to ask Libby why she only ordered three of them, when she noticed that there were six people. Three sundaes and six people mean two people will have to share one. Two…

Damn it Libby.

She looked at her best friend, giving her an incredulous look, and Libby just smiled back.

After a few minutes, Sam came back with three sundaes on a cart. He put the desserts on the table and Libby gave him the money owed for them. He left the table and Libby turned to everyone.

"Okay, there's going to be one banana split for two people." She grabbed one of the desserts. "Carl and Elke, you get this one." She slid the plate to them, who caught it in time before it fell off the table. "Sheen and I get this one," she got hold of another, "And Cindy and Jimmy, you get this one." She slid the last remaining banana split towards them, and it stopped directly in front of them.

"Dig in people!" Sheen yelled. He grabbed one of the spoons stuck in the dessert and began scooping up mounds of chocolate ice cream, eating it as fast as possible. Libby giggled and got a spoon too.

"Sheen, leave some for me too!" she said, still giggling.

Meanwhile, being the calm couple they were, Carl and Elke got their spoons and began eating it slowly. Every once in a while Carl would shyly offer some of his ice cream to Elke, who would giggle and accept it.

Then there was Cynthia and Jimmy. Both ate their ice cream in silence at first. Then Jimmy decided to strike a conversation.

"So Cin, what university are you attending?" he asked casually.

Cynthia shrugged in response while eating her spoonful of ice cream. She swallowed it and answered him a few seconds later. "Yale, although I'm also considering Stanford. Both have great law programs, so we'll have to see later on which one is best."

Jimmy ate some more ice cream before responding. "Good choices. Now you just have to wait a year to go and see which one is better for you."

She nodded and the rest of the time they ate in silence, while their friends enjoyed their own ice creams.

A very long time later, they had all finished their desserts and were stuffed. Sheen was groaning because of how fast he had gulped down the ice cream, while everyone else was just sitting down and trying not to move.

"That was a good sundae," Libby said as she leaned back. Everyone hummed or groaned in response. Libby turned to look at Cynthia and smiled. "Let's try to get up Cin. We still have to see if Sam will let us work here." Cynthia nodded and heaved herself off the booth seat and waited patiently for Libby to get out.

As they left, Jimmy looked at his old friends and spoke up. "How's high school guys?" He lowered his voice when he noticed Elke sleeping, leaning on Carl's shoulder.

Carl shrugged slightly as to not wake up his girlfriend. "We've been going through it." Sheen groaned as if to agree at his spot on the floor. "How's college Jim?"

"Work, a lot of work," Jimmy answered back. "Although it is nice. Like I said before, it's more relaxed than high school, but it's more intense in the academic way."

Libby and Cynthia came back, and after a few goodbyes, they all left the Candy Bar. Libby had supposedly agreed to drive Sheen home after, so Cynthia was now left without a ride home. She could walk, but it was getting late and she didn't want to risk anything. She was about to call her mother when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw deep blue eyes.

"I'll drive you home if you want. We live on the same street, don't we?" he said, smiling a little. Cynthia just nodded and let him lead the way to his car, which was an actual, normal car. It was dark blue and the inside was grey. She climbed inside and waited for him to get in.

The ride to their street went by in silence with soft classical music coming from the speakers. Occasionally, she would hum along to the pieces while looking out the window. They reached their street, and Jimmy stopped the car outside her house. It was dead silent until she sighed and undid her seatbelt.

"Thank you for taking me home Jimmy," Cynthia said quietly as she opened the door.

As she closed the door, he said softly, "You're welcome." She could have sworn that he sounded sad, disappointed even. She shrugged it off and walked up to her door and she heard Jimmy's car start up again behind her. The lights shined on her back as she opened her door, and then disappeared. She entered her house and plopped down on her couch. She shut her eyes closed and relaxed until she heard her mother's voice.

"Cynthia, why didn't you call to tell that you were going to stay later?" Mrs. Vortex demanded of her daughter. Cynthia sighed under her breath and opened her eyes. She turned to face her and got up from the couch.

"Mother, we ate some dessert and stayed longer than expected. I'm sorry for worrying you," Cynthia told her.

Mrs. Vortex nodded. "Alright. Now go to sleep. Just because school is out of session doesn't mean you can sleep late." Cynthia nodded and walked up to the stairs. As soon as she had gone in her room and locked her door, she went to her jewelry box. She carried it over to her window and just stared out the window, noticing that there was a full moon. Still sitting next to the window, she pulled out the precious keepsake she kept hidden and just held it, her mind reminiscing all of the old memories it held. The pearl seemed to glow with the light of the moon, and she held it in front of the window so the moonlight would shine on it further. She admired the pearl's luminescent glow for a few more minutes and just sighed as she remembered every memory that accompanied it.

Unbeknownst to her, Jimmy was watching her from across the street, in his room.

He was shocked, not expecting Cynthia to still have the pearl. He had given it to her all those years ago, when they were just eleven. He was sure that she had lost it or forgotten about it in all the years that passed. Granted, that would've hurt him, knowing that she had forgotten about it after he had spent an enormous amount of time searching for it, but it would've been her choice.

But to see that she _hadn't_ forgotten about it, that she still owned it and that she kept it as a prized possession lifted his spirits considerably.

While Cynthia went to take a shower and later on go to sleep, Jimmy did the same, but with a small smile on his face.

**Ugh, this is turning too sappy and romantic. This was written to put an emphasis on the strained relationship of Jimmy and Cindy. It was NOT meant to turn into a complete love story. *frustrated*  
Not like I'd complain, but yeah.:)  
Ok people, please review/comment this story. Tell me what you think of it so I can get started on the next chapter faster.:)  
ADIOS!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Masquerade part 1

**THE BIG FIVE**

**Hello, my wonderful readers! I'm back once again with "What Hurts The Most" for everyone!  
Ok, I'm serious when I say this. I love each and every one of my readers. EVEN the ones who read but don't leave a review. You all make me feel happy that this story, along with my Teen Titans story, is worth reading. For that, I thank you.**

**Really though, please leave a review/comment. You can just put that you like it and then just send it. I'm perfectly fine with that. You can just put a WORD, and I'll love it. I read each and every review, and I answer them here, no matter how much space it takes up. Anyone that leaves a review, I WILL answer them, no doubt about it. Just go and look on my other story, and you'll see how much space the review answers take up, and I don't care. Just as long as I answer all of you.**

**Just PLEASE review.  
PWEASE? *cute puppy dog eyes and irresistible pout***

**Ok, enough of that serious talk. Time for reviews.:)**

** u****: Aw, thank you!:) You have no idea how happy I am to know that you love it. Here is chapter five, hope you enjoy it!:)  
****Cheesekiller****: I'm glad you like it fellow bro/sis.:)  
****marilyn-joy****: Your comment made my day! Thank you so much!:D I'm so flipping happy you like it, and here is the next chapter for you to enjoy!:)**

**ME NO OWN.**

Chapter 5

"Cin, wait up!"

Said person smiled and paused her walk but didn't turn around, waiting for her friend to catch up.

"Damn girl," Libby panted once she had caught up with the blonde, "You walk fast."

"What can I say," Cynthia said, shrugging. "It's a habit now."

"Yeah, I get that, but can't you slow down for me? I'm not incredibly athletic like you, ya know." She had calmed down and was breathing semi normally, but was still breathing a little fast.

Cynthia smiled once more and shook her head. "Libs, I just play volleyball and soccer."

Libby looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "What about Tai Chi? What about softball? And all the workouts you do, like running in the morning, huh?" She put her hands on her hips, waiting for a response.

Cynthia's smile disappeared and she rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok. I'm athletic, alright? Now let's keep walking." She didn't even wait for a response and continued on. Libby rolled her eyes at her best friend's attitude and caught up to her. As soon as they were at the same pace, they began talking about miscellaneous things. The conversation went by smoothly until Libby asked, "So, you still have the pearl?"

Cynthia froze and stopped walking. Libby noticed and stopped also.

"You okay Cin?" Libby asked, her expression becoming concerned. Cynthia controlled herself and gave her a strained smile. She swallowed and nodded, gesturing for Libby to continue. Libby narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing her. "You sure?" she asked again. Cynthia nodded and swallowed again, trying to keep down her surprise at the question.

After a few seconds, Cynthia finally managed to talk. "Which pearl?" she asked, trying to calm down.

Libby raised an eyebrow. "The necklace you got from your parents, what other one is there?"

Cynthia almost sighed in relief. Instead, she smiled and said, "Yes, I still have it." Her hand went to her throat and found the chain resting on her collarbone. She pulled it out and held the pearl dangling from the chain with two fingers. "Here it is. I never go anywhere without it," she told her best friend.

Libby still didn't look convinced. "Answer the other question Cin. Why did you say 'Which Pearl'?" She demanded. Cynthia masked her fear with a look of confusion.

"I only said that because I forgot about it. It's normal for people to say which when they're confused Libs," Cynthia said, grateful that she had thought of that lie quickly.

Libby still looked unconvinced, and raised her eyebrow again. "You know that I'm best friend and I can tell when you're lying, right?" She just said. Cynthia covered her surprise by narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not lying Libby. The only pearl I have is the pearl around my neck. There isn't any other one."

Libby just smiled. "I never asked you if you had another pearl hon. You just admitted that you did, all on your own." She watched as Cynthia's expression grew into one of surprise, and chuckled. "I may not be a genius, but I know how to figure people out when I need to Cin." She suddenly got a thought in her head and her eyes lit up. She grabbed Cynthia's hand and dragged her over to a nearby bench. "You are telling me every single detail girl! Spill it," she said excitedly.

Cynthia rolled her eyes, knowing she was defeated, but still resisted. "Libby, there is no other pearl," she insisted. She took the necklace with her two fingers and spread it out on the palm of her hand. "See this? This is the only pearl I have, and that's it. There is no other pearl or any kind of gem at all that I own." She looked into Libby's eyes, reciting the lie she knew she was going to have to say one day. She just never thought she'd be saying it to her. Her mother yes, but not her best friend.

Libby bought the lie Cynthia had told, albeit partially. She still didn't completely believe her, but let it go, deciding to ask it when she least expects it later on.

They resumed their walk and went to their respective homes after. As soon as Cynthia was safe in the confines of her room, she relaxed and breathed out a sigh of relief. She sank into her bean bag chair and closed her eyes, thankful for her quick thinking. Who knows what could've happened if Libby found out about the pearl.

"Chaos would happen," she muttered to herself, getting up and going to her bathroom to take a shower. The whole time, she was imagining scenarios in which Libby found out and how she would react. The most reasonable one would have to be where she gets extremely pissed that Cynthia had kept that big of a secret and didn't tell her, and she refused to talk to her after that. She shook the thought out of her head, not wanting to dwell on it any more than she should.

She soon finished and got dressed in a white off the shoulder peasant blouse and some black skinny jeans, paired with some grey lotus flower trim wedge sandals. She put her hair up in a high ponytail while it was still wet and put on some light mascara and eyeliner and was out the door, going to the Candy Bar to where both girls had said they would be meeting at.

She got into her newly bought green VW Bug as another gift from her parents. 'Trying to make up for making my childhood incredibly hard,' she thought to herself as she drove away from her house. The rest of the ride she reminisced on all her childhood memories, pushing aside the ones with her friends to focus on the memories she held of her and her parents. There were very few, but Cynthia treasured them, since those were the happy times she spent with her family. She sighed, wishing that there were more good memories of her parents with her.

She shook her head and concentrated on the present. No point on thinking about the past.

As soon as she arrived, she began looking around for Libby. She found her sitting in a small booth with two small sundaes on each side. Libby saw her and smiled. She waved her over, and Cynthia sat down, smiling back at her.

"Where's Elke?" Cynthia asked, noticing the other blonde not there.

"Oh, Elke said she couldn't come because her family was going back to Sweden for a couple of days for a family reunion. She's sorry that she couldn't say goodbye to you, and promises to make up for it when she comes back." Libby told her.

Cynthia nodded and then her eyes widened. "She's going to make up for it?" she asked. Libby nodded, smiling at her best friend's reaction. Cynthia groaned and leaned back on the booth, closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, Libby just smiled at her and continued to eat her ice cream. After a little while of her eating ice cream and Cynthia not moving, she nudged her friend under the table. Cynthia opened her eyes and looked at Libby with a questioning look, not moving.

"Girl, eat your ice cream before it becomes goop," Libby said, pointing to mostly melted sundae with her spoon. She crinkled her nose "Or better yet, before it becomes a complete pile of goop."

Cynthia looked at her dessert and began eating it, with occasional comments between each other. They soon finished, thanked Sam, and set out on a girl's day/night out.

"So," Libby asked, opening the windows of her car once they were in. "Where do you want to go now? We have the whole day, and later we go to the party for us future seniors." She smiled at the thought. She cranked up the volume on her stereo as a song began and looked at Cynthia.

Cynthia's eyes lit up as she heard her favorite song play through the speakers. "You know where I want to go Libs," she said, singing along under her breath. Libby nodded and began driving.

"To the mall it is."

~*WHTM*~

After countless stores and dozens upon dozens of dress purchases later, the girls sat down, exhausted, at a table close to the food court. They set their bags down next to the chairs and looked at each other. They then burst out laughing, which caused every passerby and person at the food court look at them curiously. They didn't stop giggling for a few minutes, because they would look at everyone looking at them and would start all over again. This continued for almost half an hour until Cynthia managed to talk in between her and Libby's laughter.

"We should just," she began giggling, "close our," another giggle attack, "eyes." She leaned back on the chair she was sitting on and closed her eyes, sighing as she relaxed. She was in peace for a few minutes, not thinking of anything. Not of school, not of her family, not of her friends, not of a certain blue eyed boy, nothing. That is, until she heard Libby began to giggle. At first she ignored her and continued to relax, but in the end she couldn't tune it out. Not moving her position, she turned her head to the right, where the giggles were coming from, and opened her eye. She looked questioningly at her best friend, who just shook her head but kept giggling.

Libby continued for a few seconds more until she suddenly stood up, Cynthia now opening both eyes to look at her in confusion.

"I'm going to go get us food," she managed to say in between her laughter before turning on her heel and going towards the food court. Cynthia looked confused, but shrugged it off and eventually got lost in her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Libby was walking to the Panda Express to get their orders. She was smiling and shaking her head while waiting in line, ignoring the others around her who were giving her curious looks.

"Girl, you can't keep things from your best friend," Libby murmured, still smiling. She shook her head once more and ducked her head, trying to hide her expression as the line inched forward.

~*WHTM*~

They ate their food as slowly as possible, wanting to enjoy the taste as much as they could, and went to Cynthia's house. There, they got ready for the party. It was going to be a masquerade type of party, so it was formal wear and masks.

Cynthia wore a floor length forest green Greek style dress paired with some black high heels, with which the dress still reached the floor. Small white beads made their way across the bust, creating both big and tiny swirls across her chest. Her mask curled up and at the tops curled in towards her eyes, and was silver with light blue accents, making her eyes stand out. Since her hair was now down to her elbows, she could do long hair styles now. She decided to curl her hair in little ringlets and let it down, with a braid going across, picking up the hair that went above her forehead. With a small blue flower clip holding the braid on the left side of her head and a little tease at the back of her head for volume with bobby pins holding the teased hair up, she was done.

Meanwhile, Libby chose a light grey gown that reached her ankles and with an inch thick strap going diagonally across her collarbone to wrap around her left shoulder, with some white heels to complete it. She was 5'9, just like Jimmy, and the heels made her almost six feet, which helped make her aura even more confident than before. Libby's white mask curled up and out, the sides transforming into white feathers that went outward. Dark grey went throughout the mask, making a contrast with the light colors surrounding it. Her hair now reached her upper arms, and was the same length that Cynthia's had been when she cut it. She opted for straightening her hair and left it all down, going for a simpler look instead of Cynthia's elaborate one.

After about an hour and a half, both girls were done. The party was being held for the future senior class of Retroville High, which began classes in a month. It was only for the seniors, and Cynthia was excited to see her classmates again. She had been generously accepted back into the school's society, and was popular once again, both for her spots in the school's sports and the fact that she was beautiful, whether she admitted it or not.

She and Betty Quinlan had become good friends, much to the entire school's surprise, as she and the brown haired girl despised each other when they were children. Betty and Cynthia now were very close to each other, and so she was one of the people she was happy to see again. Betty had gone with her family to a trip to Brazil for the summer, so they hadn't talked since the year ended, and she missed her friend.

As soon as they arrived, they entered the ballroom the masquerade was being held at to find that all their friends were talking to each other in the center of it. Cynthia smiled at her friends' choice of standing and went over to them with Libby next to her.

"Hi girls," Cynthia and Libby said at the same time, loud enough to be heard over the chatter in front of them. All conversation in the group of about ten ceased and all looked over to the blonde in front of them.

"Is that who I think it is?!" A voice shouted out, excited. Cynthia smiled and waited for the voice's owner to appear.

Betty came out of the throng of friends and almost ran towards Cynthia. She attacked her in a bone crushing hug and Cynthia returned it, laughing lightly.

"Hey Bets," Cynthia said once her friend had let her go. Betty smiled at Cynthia and responded with yet another hug.

"I missed you, you smartass," Betty replied when she let go again with a small smile. Cynthia returned the favor and then Betty looked next to Cynthia when she heard someone speak.

"Hey, hey, don't be stealing my best friend Quinlan," Libby joked, smiling also.

Betty just laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it Folfax." Libby received a fairly long hug from Betty too and Betty continued when she was looking back at her face again. "Plus, you two are practically inseparable, and I don't think I'd be able to, even _if _I tried."

Libby laughed at that. "Come on Betty. Let's go back to everyone else," Libby suggested, still smiling. Betty agreed, grinning, and turned back to all of their friends, who Cynthia had already greeted and was currently having a conversation with.

"—almost never home." Both girls heard Cynthia say when they approached the group in front of them.

"Who's almost never home?" Libby asked. Cynthia turned to her and grinned playfully.

"Me, because you would take me everywhere all summer," she replied, her playful smirk not once leaving her face.

"Oh really?" Libby raised an eyebrow. "If I recall, you _wanted_ to leave your house Cin."

Cynthia shook her head, still smirking. "No, I never said that Libs. I said I wanted to _stay_ in my house. You must've thought I said that so you could get me to go shopping with you."

Libby gasped, clutching her chest in mock hurt. "Cin, how could you say that! You have wounded me!"

Cynthia started to beam, and tried to push it down, although she was failing incredibly at it. She shrugged with a barely controlled smile and responded as nonchalantly as possible. "I'm only speaking the truth."

Libby was smiling fully now, and still played along. "Cin stop! You're breaking my heart!" She bent over slightly, acting like her heart was breaking.

Meanwhile, their friends were watching them banter back and forth, their eyes going back and forth between the two girls in front of them. It was extremely amusing, and because of this no one said a thing.

Until another voice came in. "Okay, break it up, break it up," Betty said, coming in and pulling them on opposite sides of her. She was smiling wide at their actions, but played along with both of them. "We don't need best friends fighting, alright?"

"Not until she apologizes!" Libby protested, her laughter slipping its way into her voice.

"I'm not apologizing until she admits I'm right!" Cynthia challenged back, her laughter already interrupting her speech.

Betty began having giggle attacks, and tried to keep them down by muffling them with her hand over mouth, but managed to talk in between her chuckles and say, "How about you both say it at the same time?"

Cynthia and Libby looked at each other and just burst out laughing, just like earlier in the afternoon at the mall. By then, each and every one of the people surrounding them was sporting huge smiles and some were chuckling at the best friends in front of them all.

Once they had calmed down, all conversation resumed as normal with them. Soon it was the same chatter as when before Cynthia and Libby arrived, only with them included. Laughter rang through the ballroom every once in a while, most of the time coming from the girls in the middle.

Meanwhile, other groups were around the ballroom, their attention occasionally on the collection of the feminine half of the popular clique.

That is, until someone wearing a stunning green dress and silver mask over her eyes came in, with another person wearing an equally beautiful light grey dress and white mask. Everyone turned to look at them besides the ones in the center, who didn't notice them come in because they were discussing with each other in their own cluster.

The blonde one, the one in the green dress, didn't even seem to notice the stares their way. She just walked her way over to the center, while the other smiled and waved to everyone she saw. She too went to the center with the blonde.

Natural curiosity appeared and now everyone wanted to know who the blonde was. The dark skinned one was most likely Libby Folfax, judging by how she reacted to everyone looking at her. But who was the blonde? A new student maybe? She was probably just someone who was invited to come. But that didn't ease the curiosity of knowing who it was.

Jimmy had been invited by Sheen to the masquerade, and so he was there, observing the class he would have been part of. Carl wouldn't be coming because Elke is in Sweden at the moment, and he knew that Sheen would be complaining to him if he didn't come with him, so he gave in and accepted the invite. No one knew who he was; the others thought that he was just a random student there. And so, he was able to blend in easily. He wore a simple black tuxedo with light blue accents and a burgundy colored mask covering most of his face. Blending in had never been easier for the genius, and now more so because all the attention had been turned to the mysterious blonde. People had begun to speculate that that was Cynthia because of her blonde hair and the dress color, but no one could actually confirm it. Whispers were running around the ballroom, although the girls in the middle didn't seem to notice.

It stayed like that, people looking on as the blonde hugged Betty and talked so warmly with her, as if they were friends. Jimmy shook his head, now not believing one single bit that that was Cindy. She would never get that close to Betty, let alone talk to her without snapping at her.

'It's not Cindy,' Jimmy thought. 'It's just someone that looks like her.'

**Here ya go, another chapter for this story.:) There's another part that'll come soon, which is all about the masquerade.:D  
I'm going to try to keep the updates monthly, but I need to start focusing on my grades more, so I apologize in advance if there isn't an update once a month. If I don't update one month, expect it to come somewhere within the first two weeks of the next one, along with a new chapter for that specific month.**

**Alright, I don't think that made much sense.:D Lol, I need to finish writing more chapters, so see ya all! Review and **

**BYE!**


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